Young British players boost local hopes at Wimbledon for another homegrown champion

LONDON (AP) — The mini-Union Jack flags were flying high as Emma Raducanu closed out a dominant victory on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

“You're going all the way Emma!” was the assessment of one fan who broke the silence at No. 1 Court while Raducanu awaited an interview moments after her 6-1, 6-2 second-round victory over Elise Mertens on Wednesday.

British players not named Andy Murray have struggled to make a lasting impact at the All England Club in recent years, but there are flickers of hope these days.

All sorts of local treats are on tap for Thursday, when there's an important matchup outside the grounds, too, in Britain's national election. In all-British second-round encounters, Katie Boulter will play Harriet Dart before Jack Draper faces Cameron Norrie.

And first up on Centre Court will be Jacob Fearnley, a 22-year-old wild-card entry from Scotland, squaring off with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Speaking of Scotland, Murray will also be on Centre Court when he plays doubles with his brother, Jamie, ahead of a mixed-doubles pairing with Raducanu later in the tournament. The two-time Wimbledon champion pulled out of the singles competition.

“There’s a good vibe around British tennis at the moment,” said Anne Keothavong, a former British player who is now the captain of her country's team in the Billie Jean King Cup.

Part of the current boost is because Wimbledon granted a whole bunch of wild-card invitations to local players — just like the other Grand Slams do.

Of the 12 British men in the Wimbledon singles draw this year — the most since there were 14 in 1978 — eight were wild-card entries.

Only one of those eight — Fearnley — got out of the first round. Fearnley now goes from Alejandro Moro Canas —